WASHINGTON (May 15, 2014) – The U.S. Senate today failed to move ahead with debate on a bill that would restore a number of important clean energy incentives and Franz Matzner, associate director of government affairs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, made this statement:

“It’s the height of irresponsibility for Republican leadership to walk away from a bipartisan clean energy bill that cuts pollution and creates jobs, especially considering 80 percent of wind installations are in Republican districts.

“This package should be a top priority for Congress. Thousands of good clean energy jobs and our clean air are hanging in the balance. It’s time for lawmakers to stand up for working people and our children’s health rather than further pad the pockets of dirty energy.”

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 1.4 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.